cesta basica

with the coming of the rains came my temporary departure from Salvador... but because of the relationships, interviews and programs I hope to pursue in this city I have decided to focus more of my time here... I will be back in June...

a suggestion was made to me when I first began visiting Cosisa by Lina... that I provide a "cesta basica" for a number of families in the favela.... I didn't even know what a "cesta basica" was at the time.... and she informed me of the basic needs that make up a "cesta basica"... that most kitchens here are lacking...

1 kilo each of rice... beans... flour... salt... and sugar... 1 bag of spaghetti... and coffee... with a bottle of oil... makes up the basket of food... which supplies a whole family for weeks...

at first I was overwhelmed with the estimated high cost... and intense responsibility... but as soon as word got out that I was thinking of doing it.... Lina was bombarded with eager people.. everyone wanted to be on the list... 60 households were eventually chosen... and the organization was taken over by Lina and her "crew"... at that point I couldn't let them down...

thanks to a costco-like store... I bought everything in bulk and at very reasonable... really... shockingly cheap prices!!

we transported all the materials 20km outside of the city into the suburbs where Lina lives... when we arrived in the downpour...the men and boys, who were ready and waiting, came running down the mudslide of a hill to help carry the heavy bags and boxes back up to Lina's house... a beautiful sight... food running up the hills... which caught everyone's attention...

it all happened so fast that I didn't even have a chance to take out my camera before the car was empty... but I will never forget the eagerness to help... and the sight of 20 men and boys running up the hill in the rain with bundles and bundles on their shoulders...

once I reached the top of the hill... walking cautiously...I had my camera rolling as the separation and bagging of the goods began... we all began taking apart the bulk packaging and assembling the bags of eight items each... it was a beautiful sight... a well oiled machine.. where instinct took over and everyone got into action.. working as a team and at great speed... within half an hour... all 60 bags were put together...and piled up against the wall in Lina's bedroom...

the following night... at 8pm... distribution began...

to my surprise... and amazement...

Lina, her daughter and friends had everything in order.... just film!! is what they said... as they began the procession of name calling... ID checking and signing for the bags... eager to show you guys... my supporters and sponsors of this cause.... what was being accomplished!!...

and what a night it was!!
a crowd had gathered as they waited for my arrival... soon it began to rain... and the table of business was moved inside... as well as the crowd....
some chose to stay outside... women covered their hair with plastic bags... holding umbrellas... and socializing in what became a night of celebration... visiting with neighbors... and chatting about the "gringa" with the camera who had appeared one day...

some of the kids I had met and spent time with months earlier were very eager to see what I was filming... and to be filmed... following me around all night... excited... and shy at the same time...

the footage from that night is beautiful.... and I will never forget the energy of that experience... the first of many to come... I know!!

so thank you all... for making this trip... this project... these relationships possible!!... and lets continue to work together... to make a permanent infrastructure, which will continue to aid this community while I am gone...

FALL HAS ARRIVED

the sunny beach weather has changed under my nose.... i have now noticed because i see myself wearing the same thing over and over again to protect from the rain

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as the persian new year passed... with the sight of my improzied haftseen (w/ sang...sanjagh...salvia)... my body was ready for spring as fall arrived with force and the openning of the sky

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they say it never rains like this here..... this is the rain of sao paulo i hear.... a rain which quietly entered my house one night ...and has yet to leave

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pots... pans....bowls....buckts...and rags are strewen about the floor and house to protect from the puddles of water that gather inside ... i feel quite lucky that there is only a timid droplot over my bed..... and my equiptment has not been ruined!!

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there is a constant drip in my bedroom doorway which has gathered 3 gallons of water thus far....and keeps me company in the silence.......a silence i hear rarely between the thunder of rain pouring on the metal roofing

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oh the reality of living in the favela is hitting me.... they way it is hard to escape this wetness in the land full of metal roofed houses....and one never knows how wet the house will get until the rain hits

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leaving the house in this weather and the river which forms over the road is extremely difficult... all this....making the sandwhiches quite impossible to hand out right now..... as my stay here in salvador comes to an end for this first phase

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we will speak again in Sao Paulo

a lil something to wet the tongue

(I AM HAVING SERIOUS ISSUES WITH MY USB MALFUNCTIONING...AND THE INTERNET/COMPUTER SITUATION AROUND ME...IS NOT COOPERATING...I~M SORRY FOR THE LACK OF CORRESPONDANCE)

I had been sequestered for sometime and now return to what is important…communicating with you….

Carnaval and the preparations came with a tidal wave of insanity. By the end, I found myself escaping to nature and the beautiful natural terrain of Chapada Diamantina.

Two weeks of head clearing, meditating, writing, hiking, bathing in waterfalls, and preparing for collage application submissions. I spent my time in Vale do Capao, which is a quiet community full of poverty but lacking hunger. The abundance of fruit bearing trees and vegetable gardens has created a semi self-sufficient society. There is a lack of running water and electricity for many, but these are amenities that we are used to, which never existed for them. I felt a sense of the past. I had the experience of living in a natural rhythm. Waking and sleeping with the sun and no clock to rule my life’s moments. Chapada was quite the contrast to the city life I live and love so much, but it really opened my eyes to this alternative original existence.

The kids I observed were so full of love and spirit, which only nature can give. Sharing was not a problem in this accepting community, where mine is yours and ours is theirs. Nature was their playground. The trees and rivers were their jungle gyms. Shoes were not a necessity, and “bugs” were not a nuisance. All this was very new and enlightening to me. Seeing the contrast in the lives of the kids on the streets and the kids in the valley made me think about how to use nature as a future tool to progress the permanent impact of project americas. Maybe beginning some sort of community house where these kids can voluntarily re-locate…. live in community supportive family atmosphere…
learn to grow own food..
just thinking at the moment…
any ideas??...
More on that later…



i wrote a lot more...and posted about twenty pictures which this bloging site conveniently erased.... im frustrated... because i want to show you what i~m doing... and the techonlogy here wont let me...
more later...when i get my patience back